Three weeks ago, when the Oilers were 2-4-1 in a seven-game stretch, they were inconsistent and angst was present with the fans.
They'd seen plenty enough disappointment over the past 11 years.
"I don't think the angst ever got into our locker room, I'll tell you that," McLellan said. "There's structure, there's an expected work ethic from the group, and when we don't get that we don't win. It's pretty simple. So we just keep reminding guys and show them situations where they were doing things right, and maybe not so good, and they respond. We're at a good spot right now. We've got to continue that."
When the Oilers hit that rough patch late in the season, veteran forward Milan Lucic, who signed as a free agent July 1, stepped up to be the voice of reason and calm.
"You are going to have some adversity and rough patches throughout the season, but us overcoming a lot of them was a sign that we were giving ourselves the best chance to be in this position at this time of year," Lucic said. "Obviously it's a great feeling to clinch a spot here with six games left. It's a huge first step for our team and the organization."
Lucic continued to have his eye on the bigger picture.
"There are still a lot of uncertainties moving forward with who we are going to play and our focus has to be, like I talked about a couple of weeks ago, on our game and what we need to do for, I guess, our last six rehearsals before the real games start here," he said. "We have lots to play for and to look forward to and it is no better feeling."
With two weeks until the start of the playoffs that feeling will be savored in Edmonton. And then it's a whole new world for a team that doesn't have a great depth of postseason experience.
Against the Kings on Tuesday, the style was playoff-like -- tight checking with its emotional twists -- but Oilers captain Connor McDavid reminded all about this new horizon.
"People keep asking me that, but I've never played in the playoffs so I can't really say what that's like," McDavid said. "It definitely felt high-energy, high-intensity, but you can never really know what it feels like until you're there."